Proof, Truth, Hands, and Mind with Ian Hacking

Professor Ian Hacking explores how our innate sense of symmetry has enabled us to probe the hidden secrets of nature and also get along with each other. He presents a new development in his philosophy; one that remains in the spirit of what has established his reputation as a "Philosopher of the Particular Case." Hacking brought a new understanding of how statistics changed the world and how we think about it, from sociology to physics. His “Representing and Intervening” (1983) returned philosophers of science to their roots - experimental science. It began what he calls a "back to Francis Bacon movement.” [2/2011] [Show ID: 20382]

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[Codger]

Brilliant. I've got to revisit this lecture again, because Hacking has managed to compact so much material into a single hour. He has created an outline for a massive tome on the philosophy of mathematics. I hope he writes it.

[elisadirechts]

circa 39:10 missing word was: Prolegomena

[PavelSTL]

@FunkyTurner I was falling asleep myself, but past the 40 min mark he started talking about the classical debate of whether we discover mathematics "out there" or if it's an invention of our cognitive faculties. It was a pretty interesting overview of the debate. True though, if you're not into philosophy, this is boring.

[SnOwL]

Yeah I guess if you are not interested in philosophy a philosophy lecture will be boring for you...Surprise!